Hot Air
by The Gray Maze
Summary: A newly minted overlord and a singer have a chat following the events of Naoya's route. MC/Haru, DeSu


"So how is it?"

Yellow eyes slid to the side to regard him with curiosity. Like every expression she made, it somehow managed to look sultry. He watched her put her fingers to her lips and slowly pivot her hips to put her weight on one leg. She didn't look upset in the slightest. Not even perturbed. Tension he wasn't aware of bled from his body and a small smile curled his lips.

"The cape?" he asked.

For emphasis he shot his arms out on either side and let the black cloth billow around him dramatically. She looked amused. He knew what she was actually referring to, but he couldn't resist.

"It clashes with you outfit underneath," she told him blithely. "Your new position, I mean." She bit down gently on her fingers as she added, "Mr. Overlord?"

"I haven't had time to enjoy it fully yet," he retorted just as lightly. "The fighting isn't finished."

"I heard."

He sent her a smile. "But having minions goes a long way toward making up for that."

She chuckled. The sound of it made his smile grow broader.

"Of course, what teenage boy wouldn't dream of commanding his own demon army?"

"One that's dreaming of you," he deadpanned.

There was a glitter in her catlike eyes as her lips curled. "Not both?" she purred.

"Well if I already have the army..." He jerked his head to the side.

There were dozens of sets of eyes peeking at him from behind rubble. Most of them were clearly not human. _Most_ of them. The newly minted king hid a smile as he recognized Atsuro's and Kaido's wide eyes in a broken shop window. He wondered where his cousin (brother) and Mari were. He turned back to Haru. She had followed his gaze and spotted the two boys.

"You're missing a few," she murmured.

"Yuzu and Midori didn't want to fight anymore," he told her.

"I'm not much of a fighter myself," she sighed. "I would come with you if I were."

"I really think I'd be in trouble with Gin if you did."

She tucked a red-orange strand of hair behind one ear, regarding him with a challenging quirk of the lips. "Are you afraid of my guardian?" she asked. "Maybe you are normal after all."

He snorted. "I've seen him fight."

"He likes you, so don't worry," Haru assured him. "Maybe you should take him with you."

"And who would that leave _you_ with?"

She turned in surprise at the demanding tone in his voice, finding him with blue eyes narrowed. He turned away to stare at the red and black vortex that was their new sky. Nothing was said for a few, eerily silent moments. It was almost painful.

"We're going to war and we're not going to be back for awhile..." he eventually said. "Aside from the people already in my group, I'll be totally disconnected from humanity." He turned to her with stern face. "You and Gin are going to need each other."

Haru sighed again, this time in understanding. "I get it," she said. "But, hey, I'm going to be worrying about you."

He smirked at her. "Hot air?" he prompted.

She shook her head. "Not this time."

They fell silent again. It was the sort of awkward quiet that fell between two people who didn't know what else to say, but who didn't want to say goodbye. Haru shifted in an uncharacteristic display of discomfort. When he turned to her questioningly, she had already replaced her melancholy look with a smile.

"So where did the cloak come from?" she teased; she almost winced at the obvious shift in topic.

He noticed, but answered anyway. "A welcoming gift from one of my subjects." He tugged at the cloth with a small grin. "My friends could barely keep from laughing when the group of pixies came up to me carrying it, but I like it." He paused. "Even though it _clashes,_" he added teasingly.

She waved it off with a brief laugh. "It looks fine," she backtracked. "_That_ was hot air."

"That it looks fine or that it clashes?"

She stalked around him for an exaggerated observation. "It looks really good on you," she decided. "You have the look of a bona fide demon overlord."

"I'll take the compliment at face value," he replied dryly.

Movement to their left drew their eyes to where Kaido and Atsuro were previously spying. Mari had arrived and was giving them both the third degree. Apparently she had finished bathing. Naoya was still elsewhere. Possibly tinkering with something or making plans. Blackfrost was probably following him around. The atmosphere was quickly becoming heavy again. Haru was brooding, he noted. She was watching the group below and gnawing on one gloved finger.

"I guess it's jealously," she muttered.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Haru sighed and stepped closer to him, bringing one arm over his shoulders and the other to rest on his cheek. He met her eyes when she tugged his hair.

"Hey, _Mr. Overlord_," she breathed, "you better come back soon."

She pressed her face into his neck and melded her body against his. He was vaguely aware of the trio below turning their attention toward the two of them as he slid his arms around her narrow waist. His cloak fluttered around them. When she spoke again, her words were muffled by his skin. He shivered at the feeling of her lips moving against his pulse.

"Don't keep me waiting long."

He gripped her tighter.

"It'll be a few years, at least."

"No more than five."

His lips twitched upward at her urgent demand..

"I'll do my best!" he promised imperiously.

She lifted her head to look at him, a challenging smirk on her face. "That better not be hot air."

He shook his head.

"Not this time," he sighed.

**:-:-:**

**A/N: **Haru was my hands down favorite female character. There were no fics in her filter. This is now remedied. ^_^  
So, because this is, as far as I know, the first ("Search" still doesn't work for me), I hope I did reasonably well. My stuff is usually "gen" for a reason after all.

**(EDIT: **8/31/2014, cleaned up the formatting and dialogue a little bit. Nothing really changed otherwise.)


End file.
